7 Day Packing List for International Travel

by Cory · Published January 23, 2015 · Updated March 20, 2024

What I Packed for My Trip to Cairo

If you’ve been keeping up with Journey Unknown’s Instagram, you’ll know that recently I spent a day in Amsterdam and a couple days in Cairo. Below, you’ll find my packing list for international travel. When packing for any sort of travel, I prefer to pack as light as possible while still being reasonable about what I leave behind. If need be, I’ll purchase anything I need while traveling.

While packing for this trip in particular, I tried to keep the number of items to a minimum. At one point while pulling the straps on my stuff sack tight, I had to reopen it to make sure I had all the clothing I would need. Something just felt off due to the fact that I was traveling from a cold climate to a warmer climate for 7 days and that my bag + clothing weighed <15 pounds total. Having taken everything out of the stuff sack and spread back out onto my bed, I ran a quick inventory and thought about daily outfits to make sure I wasn’t leaving anything behind. Everything seemed good to go. Below is my 7 day packing list for international travel:

4x underwear (I recommend ExOfficio)
4x socks
4x short sleeve shirts – preferably light-weight & quickdrying
3x pants – jeans, chino, track pants
1x shorts for sleeping
1x long-sleeve shirt
1x long-sleeve shirt button up
1x jacket – for when I returned to Boston
1x gloves & hat – for when I returned to Boston
1x book – Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
1x journal
1x stuffable daypack
1x 46L Osprey Exos Backpack
1x mesh bag for dirty clothes
1x iPhone, phone charger, & backup battery
1x Macbook & Macbook charger
1x passport, global entry, & wallet
1x quart sized bag of toiletries

While on the trip itself, I spent 2 overnights in Boston, 1.5 on an airplane, 2.5 in Cairo. Due to the overnight on the airplane, I wore the same clothes from the day before. Luckily, since I was sitting, inactive, on an airplane for most of the day, my clothes didn’t smell (at least I didn’t think so).

While writing this post on the flight home, forty-one thousand feet in the air, somewhere off of Newfoundland, I started to think about my packing list. I feel that this fit the trip perfectly. If you’re wondering how only 4 pairs of boxers & socks could have lasted me 7 days, I highly recommend Ex Officio branded items.

Hopefully my packing list above will help you evaluate what exactly you need for your next upcoming trip. If you forget something, just remember that you can most likely buy it wherever you are going.